CROP. As a Heb. noun, (מֻרְאָה, H5263, Lev 1:16), crop refers to the craw of a bird and was to be removed in sacrificial rites. As a Heb. verb, (קָטַף, H7786, Ezek 17:4, 22), crop means “to strip off” or “plucking,” hence it does not fully conceptualize modern agricultural use where the idea is gathering the yield of cultivated plants. Harvest is the common Biblical term referring to agricultural products as well as attending activity in reaping or gathering. Major crops in Biblical culture were wheat, barley, grapes, olives, figs, and pomegranates (Deut 8:8). Supplementary crops included products from fields as flax, lentils, millet, sesame, and spelt (“rye”); from gardens as beans, chick peas, cucumbers, garlic, leeks, melons, and onions; and from trees as almonds, dates, pistachio nuts, and walnuts (see Agriculture).

Bibliography H. N. and A. L. Moldenke, Plants of the Bible (1952).